


bruised

by spicyperalta



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boxing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Violence, F/F, F/M, Rating May Change, Sexual Assault, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-27 15:46:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14428896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spicyperalta/pseuds/spicyperalta
Summary: Amy Santiago is an up and coming boxer trained and managed by her friend Rosa Diaz. When she wakes up in the hospital after seemingly hours, her life changes completely.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave me feedback, comments and kudos are always appreciated!

_Present Day_

The bright white lights and white walls were the first things Amy noticed as she awakened. The sterile surroundings of Brooklyn Methodist Hospital were too familiar to her. The young woman had been born, stitched up, bandaged, and said her toughest goodbyes here. The moment her mother passed away in room 451 on the third floor came to mind. To keep from crying, she quickly took her mind to somewhere less painful but came up empty. Her life had been tough since she could remember. She had been raised in the Bronx by a single mother and her uncle in the worst neighborhood in the borough.  Out of fear, her mother enrolled her in a gym, so she could take up boxing in case someone dared to jump her coming home from school. Someone did, she broke their nose.

“Ms. Santiago, good afternoon, I’m Dr. Peralta. How are you feeling?” he asked as he checked the chart he held carefully. His warm brown eyes were on her as she regained more and more consciousness. A sad smile was etched on his face while her face contorted into concern. Before Amy answered she shifted and found herself feeling the most horrible pain she had ever encountered. She yelped as the doctor rushed from the threshold of the door over to the cabinet where he procured a small bottle of painkillers. Two small pills landed on the cap and he took a discarded bottle of water from the counter. She took them as soon as he offered the dosage. “I understand you may have questions, and I will gladly answer them all in time, but first, I want you to tell me what you remember from two nights ago.” Her mind raced but only two questions stuck around: Two nights ago? and What is going on?

“Doctor, I don’t remember anything, what is going on?” Her voice was just above a whisper and did not dare look up towards the doctor.

 

Two weeks before the incident

“Ames, you have to keep your guard up! Do you want a repetition of the last match? C’mon!” Rosa Diaz was the best Brooklyn had seen when it came down to boxing. She was also the most perfectionist person Amy had come to know in her 35 years of life. She rolled her eyes as she called her out one more time on her guard and jabbed at her abdomen with all the force she could muster. “Fuck! That was good, okay, okay, okay!” Rosa grunted as she took off his focus mitts and touched the area where Amy had landed the punch. “You really have to learn to keep your guard up, that last lady did almost break your nose last time”, the taller woman reasoned and sat down at the edge of the ring.

“I know, you know Teddy said that if my nose broke he wouldn’t pay for the medical bills. We got into a huge fight, he threw everything in the apartment”, she said taking a sip of water and sitting down next to Diaz. Her face contorted to disgust and a little anger. “I ended it with him that night. You were right, he was treating everyone and me like shit and I didn’t see it until that moment.”

“About time, you know he also tried to threaten me because I cost him your last sprained wrist”, she said with a hint of sarcasm. Amy let a ‘wow’ escape. Teddy Wells and she had been dating for a good 6 months before things had started to go downhill. He was a man of a fragile ego, and the recent success of Amy "Sargent" Santiago had been his demise. The last month of their relationship had her questioning everything she had come to know about the man and when he started verbally abusing her, that had been the breaking point. “You deserve better, it’s some damn shame men don’t realize what they have.” Diaz had been through her fair share of breakups but was now happily married to Gina, an accomplished therapist.

“Thanks, Rosa, should we pick this back up? I’ll keep my guard up, promise”, she said getting up and wiping a bit of sweat with her forearm. Rosa smiled slightly, never one to show much emotion rolled her eyes and got up putting his focus mitts back on. They trained until 9 pm when Rosa had to return home to the missus. As he walked away after their goodbyes, she wondered if she would ever be in a relationship as good as Rosa and Gina’s. That didn’t matter though, all her love was reserved for her sport.

Back at home, she fell into bed and felt where she was bruised. No, not because of the practice with Rosa, but the fight with her ex. It had been two weeks and the color was fading, no longer blue and purple but a soft brown color. Amy vowed that she would never let anyone hurt her that way ever again.

But some promises are inevitably broken.


	2. Chapter 2

12 days before the incident

“When’s the last time you went on a date?” Amy glanced at her coach from the side and opened her mouth to retaliate. “Sorry, I know you’re just out of a relationship and that you’re not one to rebound.” The gym echoed with every word spoken, the planned break was supposed to be ten minutes but extended to half an hour when a conversation sparked.

“I went out to a bar last night, got way too drunk and made out with this girl there. Didn’t get much of a follow up other than a smudged phone number on my wrist the morning after.” Rosa nodded and wore the expression of surprise for a bit when she finally decided to get up.

“I thought we agreed you’d stop drinking to get drunk, I’m proud of you for getting out there but Gina and I want you to be healthy and get home safe”, she said looking down at the shorter woman who took off her gloves one by one. She was tired, to say the least. Another case of self-destructive behavior was the last thing she needed to be going through. Two years prior to meeting Diaz, she had met her future wife, Dr. Gina Linetti, who diagnosed her behavior as a borderline alcoholic’s. She’d undergone therapy with Linetti twice a week and even went once a month present day. Her tendencies were under control but had her spirals where she’d wake up at the couple’s home on their couch.

All in all, she was fine. At least that’s what she told herself.

The training ran a little longer than usual, Amy was hungover and thinking about the woman that she lay under the night before. She had lied to Rosa. It was too easy nowadays. Pretending to fine was becoming a routine. She punched into the focus mitts a little harder and did not stop until Rosa called it a day. That night she called Jeanette again, the woman from the bar. She let herself get drunk again and woke up naked alone in bed.

She reached for her phone on her bedside table and found a text notification. It woke her up more than a bucket of ice water could. It came from an unknown number.

“No one likes a whore.”

* * *

 

 

_Present Day_

The sounds of machines were deafening and there was no way that the young woman could shut off the sound. Dr. Jacob Peralta found himself in the worst situation imaginable: amnesia. It made sense considering the circumstances, but a small voice told him that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be as bad as it looked. Underneath the chart, he came across her medical records finding familiarity in the name Gina Linetti.

He had grown up with the woman, considered her one of his best friends. She could help. Jake, as he was better known to his friends and family as, called Gina immediately.

“What’s up Jakey, how can I assist you?”, he smiled at her typical fake professional greeting.

“Hey Gina, um, I have a patient here under my care and you might know her. It’s Amy Santiago.”

At home, Gina tried to steady the phone. “Is she okay?”

“She may need you.” At that point, the therapist had put on her coat to face the harsh New York fall and went out the door to Brooklyn Methodist. In her head, she ran through all the worst-case scenarios. The doctor ran his hand through his short curls and sighed. He had always seen Amy Santiago in this hospital. A broken wrist, crying in the hallway, and now confined to a bed with the worst possible cause for an injury imaginable. This would be one of the most difficult cases of his career.

Gina Linetti arrived about 15 minutes after the phone call, was caught up on the reasons why Amy was admitted, and sat down to process. It was unusual for the woman to be so quiet. The reasons she became a therapist was because she wasn’t afraid to tell it how it is. She spoke a few moments later. “Does she know?”

Jake looked at his childhood friend with sadness in his eyes and shook his head. Gina uncharacteristically began to reach for a tissue from her purse and dabbed stray tears away. The woman hardly cried.

“She has to know Jakey, she might be tough on the outside, but I know her. The longer we wait, the more we risk losing her.” Her voice cracked the tiniest bit and Jake looked towards Amy’s room. She was still asleep due to painkillers. Together, the childhood friends would reveal the most heartbreaking news of her life once she awakened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos, comments and your theories, i’d love to hear from y’all.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault and Violence

_10 days before the incident_

No one likes a whore.

The words rang in Amy’s head like a mantra, one that she was beginning to believe. It had to be Teddy, she felt it in her gut, but she had zero proof. She couldn’t go to the police either since he was a detective in the NYPD. Her hands were tied and she would have to take matters into her own hands. She would take preventive steps, and not involve anyone.

The first step she took was to change her phone number. It wasn’t a big deal considering she was due for an upgrade the trip ended up being a double whammy. Her locks were changed in the span of hours as well. For the first time in a long while, Amy was afraid.

She felt an overwhelming sensation of discomfort and it was a familiar feeling. 

_“Teddy, stop! You’re drunk and I have the capabilities to knock you down!”_

_Before she could block his arm, his fist landed on the side of her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Santiago regained her ground and punched him square in the face leaving him with a bloody nose. He doubled over in pain._

_“You stupid fucking bitch!”_

_“Get the fuck out of my apartment, this isn’t happening anymore. We’re done.”_

Shuddering at the memory, she continued installing locks in the windows and brought out a can of pepper spray from hiding. Something she had not used since her high school days. She then wondered how she could feel still feel unsafe in her own home, she wondered to the point of exhaustion.

Double checking locks.

Triple checking that her friends and family had gotten her new number.

Amy Santiago fell into a restless sleep, but the best sleep she would have in a long while.

 

_Present Day_

She was awake a few hours later, her head still hurt from some unknown injury, and she wished to know what had happened. Gina came in as soon as her eyes were open and she did not say much. The therapist whose career depended on making people open up was closed off. Her blue eyes said more than words.

Devastation, sorrow, are some of the words that Amy could think of to describe them. Suddenly she held her hand in both of hers.

“Rosa is coming in a few minutes, and then we’re gonna talk about what happened with the doctor.” Gina didn’t look at her fearing that tears would dare spill and freak out her friend and patient even more than she would be after the news.

On cue, Rosa arrived, all caught up and taken aback by Amy’s appearance. It was worse than any match she had endured could do.

Amy Santiago had cuts on her neck and arms. Her lip was bruised, her eye swollen. Her stomach riddled with dark marks, and her legs were in the same state as her arms and stomach. Internally, she had bruised ribs and more damage that would take months to fix. The doctor walked into the room and informed her of all the lacerations and damage. Jake took a deep breath.

“Amy, this is not an easy thing to say. I want you to feel any emotion this news brings you. You have two wonderful ladies as support. Don’t push them away, please.”

“I won’t, please continue”, Amy said in a small voice.

Gina and Rosa clung to each other and held Amy’s hand, bracing themselves for news that they had received earlier. “You were violently sexually assaulted two nights ago. You were brought in nearly dead, and luckily the defibrillators brought you back when we almost lost you.”

“What else?” Her voice sounded rough, and her eyes were locked on the man in front of her. She needed more, even if it would break her.

“I’m not able to reveal more as of now, Gina and I spoke about you processing the news and trying to remember on your own.” The bedridden woman couldn’t take it. A million voices ran through her head and she felt nothing but anger. She couldn’t even feel the circles Rosa usually made on her hand to calm her down.

“WHAT ELSE?! HOW DID I FORGET HOW TO FIGHT?! WHY WAS I ALMOST DEAD?!” She paused and took a breath. She looked out the window looking for answers that never came. “Why?” No longer did she hold in tears, she let them flow, but never let out a sob.

Later that night she would have a nightmare about the night of her assault. Vividly. Three men in an alleyway, their identities unknown due to an unclear point of view. One held a knife to her neck, the others undressing her, and she was powerless. She wasn’t moving, why wasn’t she moving?

The last thing she saw was the face she so desperately tried to save herself from, and she awakened in a scream. Dr. Peralta was next to her changing her drip bag. He watched concerned but carried on with his duties of checking his patient had everything she needed. He visibly jumped when she screamed and even though he was not supposed to, slightly hovered his hand above hers and whispered.

“You’re okay, you’re safe.” The room was only lit by a dim light in the corner of the room and she could see his warm eyes filled with worry.  Amy looked to where his hand almost touched hers and moved to hold it. She also had seen the man for years coming in and out of the hospital but did not know him very well. Still, she felt a familiarity with him and knew from seeing him with patients and Gina, that he was worth trusting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and give kudos, I really appreciate any kind of feedback. This is basically the beginning to the Peraltiago slow burn and the start of a very dark story. Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trigger warning for sexual assault remains even if it is not talked about explicitly.

_Present Day – Morning_

Jake leaned on the wall outside his patient’s room. He’d comforted her. Why? He was nothing to her. Just a mere bystander on the events of her life that seemed to rotate around the hospital. He was her doctor, just her doctor. There wasn’t a rule for him to not think his patients as beautiful, but now he wished it were the case.

If only she was suffering just from another broken bone. She would need a lot of healing. Physical and Emotional. If she would allow him to be a part of her emotional healing, he would do it.

But he’s only her doctor, he was confined to his duties to her physical recovery.

His best friend Charles, an NYPD detective, had shown up to get the details about Amy Santiago’s sexual assault. Which she briefly recalled the night before. She had her suspects and the location. The hospital had done a rape kit on her and had kept the evidence secure.

Dr. Peralta never went inside to pry into the details of her trauma, it wasn’t his business, but also, he was not sure he would be able to take it. Today was Amy Santiago’s fifth day in the hospital and she would be released by the middle of the following week. She had made some improvement the morning after her dream, she could walk around the room for a few minutes at a time before her aching began again.

Inside the hospital room, Detective Charles Boyle finished up taking part of her statement. “We will get ahold of Theodore Wells, Ms. Santiago, do your best to recover. We will also bring a sketch artist later in the week, so we can bring the other two males in.”

“Thank you, Detective”, she smiled slightly as he nodded and closed the door behind him, Jake was still there in the hallway. He walked in as Boyle left picking up the chart and double checking what his patient needed at this hour. It was fairly late, and he had not spoken to her since the night before when he had held her hand and ran his thumb across her knuckles. “Dr. Peralta?”, she called out as he reached for the painkillers.

“Yes, Ms. Santiago?”

“Amy is fine, doc, you don’t have to be formal with me. Besides, we have mutual friends.” He nodded and turned with her dosage and a bottle of water from the nearby counter.

“What do you need, Amy? Everything in order?”

She nodded quickly and spoke softly, “I wanted to thank you for being there last night. You could have easily sedated me, but you didn’t, why?”

Her gaze was on him as he sighed and sat down on a stool next to her bed. He placed the pills and water on the bedside and cleared his throat. “I’ve seen you in this hospital, I mean a lot, you’re here more than the average person. Your medical history also shows a lot of what you’ve been through, and this is another thing on a long list. You’re strong, Amy, more than Gina gives you credit for, more than you give yourself credit for. When you woke up screaming I didn’t want you to give you something that I know you wouldn’t like to be given.”

Amy never let her gaze waiver and looked at him through every word that was spoken and damn was she falling. He cared. His hands rested upon the mattress, they held one another. She placed her hand on top of his hands and without thinking spoke. “I’ve seen you too. Wish we would have gotten to meet in better circumstances.” She removed it as she realized her involuntary move.

He smiled as an idea came to mind, “Let me reintroduce myself, hi I’m Jake, a friend of Gina’s.” He stuck his hand out for a handshake and she took it.

“I’m Amy, I train with Gina’s wife at her gym.” She giggled for the first time since her stay making Jake smile wider.

“No way, what are the chances, what do you train for with Rosa?”

“I’m a boxer.”

His jaw dropped slightly but he recovered quickly enough to respond. “That’s the most badass thing I have heard in my life. Please, tell me more”

They talked for about an hour about their respective jobs and their friends. They both felt comfortable with each other more than they have with any other person. They liked each other and the only thing impeding them from reciprocating their feelings was the damage on Amy’s body and mind. Although, Jake would only help her recover faster.

On the other side of town, Teddy Wells was being handcuffed in his shoddy apartment in the outskirts of Brooklyn. Things were looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and tell me what you think, kudos are always appreciated too! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ******Sexual Assault Warning******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear next chapter will be up quicker since i'm planning in advanced and sorry for taking 2 months to update. Please, feedback is so so SOOO appreciated and thanks to the people who have commented. 
> 
> y'all can find me at @spicyperalta on twitter and tumblr.

The day before the incident.

Booking a match was never an issue for Rosa and Amy, the problem was always not having enough publicity to move her to bigger venues.  The “Sergeant” was getting to the point where she could finally break through to the mainstream professional circuit. That had been the goal since she had begun the sport at the age of twelve. From what she knew of her father, he was supposedly a police officer in the 84th precinct with the NYPD. Her mother, Camila, had met him as a child growing up in the Bronx. Through the years they’d forged a strong relationship and in their mid-30s, Amy Santiago, their only daughter, was born.

Victor Santiago had died at the hand of the Iannucci family during a bust, Amy was one. His rank of Sergeant at the time of his passing is how she kept his memory alive. That and a picture in her wallet.

Rosa had managed to book a fight in Atlantic City which would give Amy a pretty good chance to find someone to represent her. Diaz’ focus was more on training the boxer, so it would release some of the stress that being a manager gave her. Tonight would define her career as she competed for the lightweight title at a preliminary competition before Nationals. Her goal was to become a World Champion before the age of 35 and she was well on her way. Her professional record was immaculate expanding 10 years and 35 matches. Her record was 33 wins by knockout, 2 by decision and 0 losses.

In Atlantic City, Amy would fight against Irina Wachowski in a 12-round match as the undercard. What would seemingly be an easy fight for the Serge, was not. In the first round, Amy received a hard jab to her breasts and the referee had to step in. Her opponent was breaking a lot of rules, so Amy had to step up her game with a few combinations and a hook to her kidney at the 6th round. Time seemed to go by extremely slow, the punches would feel like they were hitting concrete, and Wachowski was still standing. Amy sat down at the corner of the ring, Rosa standing close-by with a towel and a water bottle.

“You gotta get her cornered, that’s when you can do the most damage. Keep your damn guard up, your lip will split if you keep taking punches.” She spoke rapidly being that there wasn’t a lot of time left before the next round. Vaseline was generously and precisely applied to her face, a trick used by many boxers to help hits slide off instead of making a full impact.

The Serge nodded and allowed another member of her team to place her mouth-guard back in, a male in his mid-twenties they had hired at Rosa’s gym. His name was Gustavo Gutierrez and he was training to be a professional boxer. Remember him.

The bell rang signaling the start of a new round and the opponents touched gloves. The Sergeant jabbed at Wachowski and kept her guard up as Rosa had instructed. For the remainder of the round, she kept dodging hits and waiting for a weak spot to open. As soon as the taller blonde dropped her guard at the slightest, Amy went for an uppercut making her drop to the ground. The referee counted down from 10 and when Irina made little effort to get up at, Amy Santiago was declared the winner by knockout.

Rosa came up and gave her a huge hug yelling in excitement. The fight had given her a pass to the National competition and a sense of pride. At the same time, an audience member had gone outside after intently watching the match.

“She won… no, you can’t do it tonight!”, the man sounded nervous on the phone as he should’ve been. He was speaking with Teddy Wells, a top-ranked detective in the NYPD and he had priors. Teddy dangled his freedom in front of him. If he refused any part of the plan he would be sent to jail.

“Listen, Gustavo, I’m doing you a little favor here giving you immunity after you assaulted that man on the street. Self-defense doesn’t mean shit to me, capisce?” Gustavo paced in the alleyway thinking of a way to delay his plans.

“We aren’t even in New York right now, we are traveling tonight, making a lot of stops to celebrate.” There was a conversation between Teddy and another man on the line.

“Tomorrow. No exceptions. You pussy out and we send you to jail. Oh, and give your little sister a nice surprise too.” He hangs up. Gustavo goes to the van and waits a good 20 minutes for Amy and Rosa to return. He drives in silence not listening to the casual conversation between the women in the backseat.

 

The next day. The day of the incident.

Gustavo drove through the night with a pounding headache. He dropped both ladies at the gym and he returned home and checked on his 16-year-old sister. It was three o’clock in the morning and the man could not sleep. He knew what he had to do tonight but he had a gut feeling it would be worse than anticipated.

It was.

In the evening he was ordered to invite Amy to a bar to celebrate her victory. Of course, she agreed. She’d been following Gina’s orders to limit her drinking and she would be having no more than 2 drinks. Amy was having her first one already. Her hair was still braided into 2 french braids, and they made her easily recognizable even from across the room. Gustavo stood in the opposite end of the bar as Amy when a large man he didn’t recognize placed a drug inside her drink.

_Fuck Fuck Fuck._

His Bluetooth started vibrating and then he could hear Teddy’s voice. “Go up to her, when she starts getting dizzy take her outside.” With a horrible gut feeling, he did as he was told. Amy was dozing off mid-conversation when he got up and offered to take her home.

“Take me to a doctor, Gus. I don’t feel so good.”

“Sure”, he helped her up placing her arm across his shoulder. The man behind the bar followed them from a distance. “I parked in the alleyway, can you walk?”

She did not answer and that’s when the man reappeared taking Amy and slamming her body against the alleyway. “Hold it against her throat!” Gustavo was frozen. The man pointed a gun, Amy’s eyes went wide but she remained silent, the drug making her reactions slow.

He took the switchblade the man was holding and held it to Amy’s throat. He held her wrists behind her back and noticed tears in her eyes. Teddy arrived making Santiago snap.

Slurring her words, she spoke up, “What the fuck is this, Teddy. Let me go assholes! Help!”

He slapped her, hard enough to make her bottom lip bleed. Teddy walked up to her lifted her chin with his hand and got close to her face. “We’re gonna have a little fun with you”, he unbuttoned her dark red blouse, “who knows, you might just like it. Gutierrez, grab her hair. Now.”

Her clothes were being practically ripped and her head pulled back by someone she once trusted. Her neck was more exposed than ever and as the 2 men punched, groped, and raped her. Her last wish before blacking out was for the blade to slice her throat and finish the job.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is kind of filler-y, but i'm working towards updating with longer chapters and a bit quicker than I have before.

Present Day – Last Day at Brooklyn Methodist

Jake’s colleagues that were helping when Jake’s shifts ended had told Amy and the ones close to her then she would make a full recovery physically. Although, she would have to potentially have to withdraw from her match for the lightweight national title. This bothered her, of course, but she was willing and determined to try again no matter what.

Her mental recovery would, sadly, take a bit longer.

Amy woke up in a cold sweat again, she screamed bloody murder. An older nurse ran inside quickly and calmed her as best she could. The lady reached for a sedative when all else failed but was stopped by Dr. Peralta.

“Mina, I got it from here, that won’t be necessary.” She placed the sedatives down and walked out of the room. Jake walked over to a shaking and whimpering Amy and sat down on the stool. He took her hand brushing his thumb over her knuckles reassuring her as he had done several times during her stay.

“You’re safe, one deep breath in and one breath out.” He demonstrated the breathing for her to copy until she finally looked at him in the eyes. She was looking a little better, her bruises in the process of fading.

“I had the same nightmare.” Her eyes watered, and she allowed the tears to spill. “Only I saw their faces more clearly and I recognized the man who held me at knife-point. Fuck. I could hear what they were saying this time instead of just having an out of body experience.” She squeezes Dr. Peralta’s hand snapping him out of a daze.

She doesn’t deserve this, no one does, he thinks while listening to Amy. He frowns thinking of how much pain she’s in and looks up when she squeezes his hand. “I’m calling Detective Boyle, so you can name the other, man, I can’t bring myself to call him a man.” This makes her smile slightly. “Amy, you have all of us on your side. Especially me. If you need me to go over to your apartment to talk or to watch action movies, I’m there.”

“I’d love that. Thank you, Jake.” He smiles slightly and takes a risk kissing the back of Amy’s hand before leaving to call Boyle.

It took a few hours for Charles Boyle to arrive at the hospital. He entered greeting Dr. Peralta and then Amy. “I understand you remembered more details from the night of your assault?”

“I have the name of the man who held me down, his name is Gustavo Gutierrez. He’s a friend- was a friend of mine.” Boyle writes the name down on his notepad. “Is Teddy Wells in custody?”

“We arrested him a few days ago, he posted bail.”

Amy had kept records of text messages, bruises, and more from her relationship with Teddy after she received threats. He was the first name that came up when Detective Boyle first visited. His status as a fellow detective was completely thrown out the window by Boyle, he despised dirty cops.

“We’ll track him down soon. Glad to hear you’re being discharged today. If there’s anything you need please call me personally.” He hands her a card with his information. Jake comes back in, but not before rolling his eyes and smiling at something Boyle has said. She can faintly hear the word ‘soon’.

“The paperwork is done, and you can go home now, you pumped?” She smiles and slowly gets out of bed with Dr. Peralta’s help.

“Yes, I can’t wait to sit at home, pig out, watch sitcoms, and boxing on Saturdays.” She holds on to his biceps trying to get her balance steady. The only parts of her body that needed to heal were her ribs now. As bad as the whole ordeal was, the sexual assault was not as bad as the damage done by Teddy and the, still, unknown man jumping her. “You can join me if you want.”

“As a health care professional, I don’t pig out- I’m so kidding, I’m so unhealthy right now but my buddy Terry keeps me in check. My shift is over in a few minutes, and it is Saturday.” He lets his voice falter and looks at her with a glimmer in his eyes.

“Are you up to give Gina and Rosa a break and take me home?”                                                                                 

“Good karma with Gina and having a woman in my car for once? Of course,” he says feigning being in thought making her face light up. She smiles and lets out a small giggle. Her giggle might be the most beautiful sound he has ever heard.

The man is whipped, everyone can tell from miles away. Gina, Rosa, and Boyle have caught on. Especially Charles. The detective always asked the same question and received the same answer: You’re just reading into things.

Today, he got a different answer to his question.

“ _When are you finally going to admit your feelings for Amy?”_

_“Soon.”_

The Night of the Incident – After

Her naked body lay on the dirty ground, her body convulsing slightly. Teddy and the other man kicked her stomach as a goodbye and drive off into the night. Gustavo cried silently and covered Amy with his own jacket. As soon as the two assholes were out of sight, he dialed 911.

“911, what’s your emergency? State your name and location.”

“I wish to remain anonymous, but there is a woman that has been sexually assaulted at the alleyway next to Shaw’s Bar. I recognize her to be Amy Santiago.” He sniffles. “She is badly beaten, naked, I covered her with a jacket. Please hurry.”.

 

“Ambulance and police units are on their way to the scene.”

He hangs up, gets into his car and the next morning, hugs his sister a little tighter watching the news that Amy Santiago was brutally assaulted on TV. He feels disgusting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me comments, I wanna know how i'm doing and also kudos are very much appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

**Present Day - Night**

Doctor Jake Peralta’s car was an old Mustang from 1967, which was his most prized possession. He told Amy the story of what made him get it on the way over to her apartment. While he was a resident at Brooklyn Memorial, he encountered the car. Terry Jeffords was slamming down a perp on the side, and Charles Boyle was calling the arrest in. Jake was getting lunch with them at a local deli when the radio reported the suspect in the vicinity. The events and the realization that the car had a price and phone number made it an easy decision to purchase the vehicle. He had to borrow money, of course, the debilitating, crushing, debt of medical school still took a toll on his life.

“So, how many girls have you had in this beauty?” Amy said buckling her seatbelt out of breath from the short walk out of the hospital.

“Oh, not many at all, I’m at work _way_ too much for that. I’m also what they call romantically inept. I once took a lady for a vending machine dinner, she walked out.”

“Smooth.”

He pulled out of the parking lot and into the street trying not to smile like a lovestruck puppy. _Whipped_. Amy looked at him and took him in in lighting that was not the harsh hospital lights. The lamp posts gave him an orange glow, the traffic lights reflected on him made him look like art. She looked away, but little did she know, he often found himself catching glimpses of her as well.

The parking spot was a bit of a way from Amy’s apartment building so Jake was used as a crutch until they reached the elevator. The apartment was clean, Gina and Rosa had been coming around to care for it. She was placed on the couch and he sat on the other end.

“It’s past 11, and it turns out the undercards went too quickly to catch the main fight. You want to watch a movie?” Amy said settling into the couch and scrolling through the TV guide.

He beamed, “How do you feel about Die Hard?”

 

**The length of time Die Hard takes later**

How the two of them ended up in _very_ close proximity is a mystery. Well, not actually. Before putting the movie on Jake got some snacks from Amy’s kitchen and he sat close to her. They made conversation during the movie, ignoring it mostly to the point where they did not notice the credits rolling.

“This is my favorite movie and I’ve never not paid attention to it. What are you doing to me, Santiago?”

She sat up wincing in pain, “Couldn’t tell it was your favorite with all the lines you were quoting.”

“Whoa, don’t move too much, your rib is still bruised. Some liniment will help with the pain, going to rummage through your medicine cabinet, you’re a badass boxer I’m sure you have some.” Before she could even answer he yelled: “too fast can’t stop me!” Amy bit her lip momentarily forgetting about the pain. He was showing a more playful side to him now that he was out of the workplace.

Meanwhile after rushing to the bathroom, Jake encountered Amy’s medicine cabinet. In there was a box of condoms, _Cool cool cool_ , safe sex is smort, he thinks. He refocuses and finds the Icy Hot balm next to the box, oh, it’s unopened, wait, focus. When Jake returned she was sat up with her hair gathered to the side. He opened the balm and asked if it was okay if he applied it. Amy nodded. He lifted her oversized t-shirt, and when his palm met her back, the liniment providing an instant heating effect. She sighed involuntarily but regained her composure quickly.

She asked about his job, after some comfortable silence. “What made you become a doctor? It’s just that, you’re so goofy by nature from what I have seen and you’re so serious at the hospital. Of course, you balance that, but I’m curious.”

“Well, when I was a kid, I got hurt a lot. Climbing trees, jumping from them.” He took a pause reminiscing. “My doctor was a cool old guy. I asked a lot of questions and he was always patient with me. He was a father figure to me in a way, and when he passed, it was only logical to become a doctor like him. The second option was to be a cop but I’m asthmatic.”

He kept massaging gently and she suppressed a noise of relief. “You wanted to be a cop and your favorite film is Die Hard. That’s not a coincidence is it?”

“Nope”, he moved his hands towards the bottom of her ribcage and finished massaging the cream. He wiped his hands on his jeans and adjusted her shirt.

Amy repositioned herself to face Jake and thanked him, whispering it, feeling shy all the sudden. It was near 2 am and Dr. Peralta announced that he had to go. He retrieved his keys from the coffee table, walked to the door, and stopped. He had to say something. Now or never. He turned to face her.

“I can’t leave without putting this out there, _okay here goes_ , I really want to have something romantic with you. I understand you’re not ready or might not be, but I’m willing to wait. Goodnight Ames.”

Jake exits, his heart beating so fast he fears it may be a stroke. Alas, it was just the adrenaline of finally telling Amy Santiago how he felt about her.

All the while, Amy is left on her couch with an incredulous expression on her face. She wasn’t ready, that was for sure, but, Jake Peralta was the most trustworthy person she had come across ever since meeting Rosa and Gina. Who was she kidding, she was falling for him, she would be an idiot not to. The pressing matter was that her mental health had taken a huge blow. When she finally fell asleep, the nightmares continued the same one of her assault.

Breathing heavily and trying not to make any sudden motions, she wished Jake were there to hold her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all, I finally had time to finish this chapter. I'm in college so it's hard to keep up with writing this and my homework. I do have the chapters planned up to the epilogue, but, of course, updates will be slow. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and for your patience. Please comment what you thought about this chapter and leave kudos.
> 
> \- Moni


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentions of sexual assault and trauma
> 
> read at your own discretion

Two months after the incident – The 99th Precinct

Gustavo sits in front of Sergeant Terry Jeffords sweating profusely when he blinks, he can see her naked and quivering in the alleyway. He’s cuffed to the table and he’s confessed to everything. Holding Amy down as she was brutally raped. Agreeing to the plan out of fear of his sister having the same fate as his former friend and of him going back to jail. Calling 911 after the deed was done.

Terry could only think about his twin daughters as Gutierrez testified against Teddy Wells and his accomplice. He also could not believe that officers in the next precinct over were so corrupt. The details matched the rape kit findings and the pictures taken of the marks left on her body.

“I have a sixteen-year-old sister under my care, if I go to jail, I don’t want her to end up alone. I was extorted, I tried getting out of this situation but what do you do when someone threatens your livelihood? Threatens to rape your loved ones?”

Jeffords sat back and rubbed his temples. “You’re getting immunity for all the information you have given me today but there’s one more name I need. The other accomplice.”

He blinks again, his mind going to the scene where he sees Teddy prevent his accomplice from doing even more to Amy. He’d nearly broken her neck as he forced oral on her. He would have attempted to pull him from her, but a gun had been drawn and pointed at him after he tried to run.

“His name is Steven, Steven Schillens. He also works for the NYPD in Wells’ precinct.”

“Alright, you’re free to go. Thank you for cooperating.” Terry waited for him to leave to slam his fist down on the metal table. Schillens was never his favorite person but he had a history with the one and only Dr. Jacob Peralta.

They’d been roommates in college and sometime after before Jake devoted his entire time to medical school and his career. There was no way he could hide this fact from him. Sgt. Jeffords knew it would cause a lot more rage now that he was infatuated with his friend’s victim. Waiting a few minutes to figure out what to say and how to say it, he pressed on his contact name and dialed.

In his apartment, Jake had gotten off the phone with Terry. His hands trembling as he hung up. It had been days since he’d been at her apartment and confessed his feelings. By no means did he expect an answer this fast but he wished for an answer.

He had also decided he wanted to kill Schillens.

Afternoon - Amy’s New Apartment

The best move for Amy was to move out of her apartment altogether now that Teddy was out on bail. He had not even been behind bars for a week. The thought of him getting to her made her sick, so she ended the contract with her landlord who thankfully understood.

She was now staying with Gina and Rosa for just a few days until she moved into her new apartment which was conveniently close to the gym. The three women lounged in the living room casually when their conversation turned to a certain doctor.

“So, Jakey has not stopped talking about you, what’s going on with you two?” Gina poked smirking a little. She was not lying. Jacob called her the night after they watched Die Hard in Amy’s old apartment and told her every single detail. Of course, she was thrilled but also concerned about her friend’s wellbeing.

“He’s,” she paused trying not to give away her emotions, “He’s sweet, good dude.”

“I don’t know him as well as G, but he’s a doctor with a sweet ass Mustang, those are great selling points” Rosa quipped flipping through the channels on the television.

“Very good points, indeed. But Ames, I want to talk doctor to patient. Can we talk in my office?”

Amy let out a breath and after a beat answered. “Sure.”

They regathered in the very nice dining room that was obviously a collaboration between the married couple. Dark woods and pops of color adorned the room. Amy was told to wait a moment as Dr. Linetti gathered her case files and medical records. It had been about a month since the incident now and she was improving slowly.

“Are the nightmares still happening?” Gina Linetti was not one to beat around the bush. The dark circles under her friend’s eyes had become prominent and she was thinner than she had been before the assault.

“I have the same nightmare every night. I’m being assaulted and I see two of them clearly” she paused trying to steady her voice. She pictured the scene again and took a deep breath. “It’s getting to the point where I try not to sleep.”

“We’re coming up on two months now, it might get worse before it gets better.” The psychiatrist rubbed her temples and wondered if she should even share the news she’d gotten two hours ago.  She was tougher than any other person she’d ever met. This had only made her stronger than ever. So she told her about the interrogation and the second male who assaulted her.

“I can’t forgive Gustavo for what he did but I can thank him for actually aiding me in something.”

“There’s also more reports coming in going after Schillens and Wells from multiple women. They’re not getting away with this anymore.” Amy smiled at Gina’s comment and squeezed her outstretched hand. “Whatever it is you’re doing aside of what I’m helping you with, keep doing it. I’m a fabulous doctor but this is not just me.”

“I’ve been meeting with a support group twice a week. It’s sad that nearly every woman has a story but I learned not to be ashamed of what happened. I learned to be open when I wanted to close myself off from the world. I learned that it wasn’t my fault.”

Amy spoke with conviction, she now believed what was true about that night. She was not at fault. No longer did she comment about how she should have defended herself or checked her drink.

Her focus was now on her recovery, getting back into boxing and towards her new title, and maybe give love a chance. Jake Peralta was gentle, a great listener, he was everything her abuser was not. She didn’t know it but that man would give her the world and more.

For reasons still unbeknownst to her, she called a cab to take her to his apartment. There was a lot she needed to unpack but it had already been enough time since he professed his love for her.

Evening – Jake’s Apartment

His knuckles were bloodied and he wrapped a frozen pack of peas around his fist to conceal it. Perhaps taking matters into his own hands was not the best move but what could he do?

No, he had not punched Schillens in the face. What he had punched was a concrete wall after he ended the call with Terry. The piece of shit was not worth a criminal record and really, the doctor was not violent. This was a reaction he’d never had before. Because things like these had thankfully not happened to people he loved.

Amy finally reached Jake’s door as he went to replace his frozen peas for some frozen vegetable medley pack. He opened the door to see her in a comfy outfit, her hair in a ponytail sans makeup.

“Sorry I didn’t give you a heads up that I was coming, but I want to do this.”

“You sure about this?” He needed her to be sure. Her wellbeing and mental state had and would always be his main concern.

“I’ve never been so sure in my life,” She said looking at his chocolate orbs. She leaned in and kissed Jake, the move making his heart flutter.

They kissed tenderly and slow, like something out of a movie. Her right hand caressed his cheek as the other wrapped around his waist. Jake just held her waist and pulled her closer.

When they finally pulled away they looked at each other in awe. Jake snapped them out of their moment blushing hard and invited Amy inside.

They spent the night in close proximity a blanket draped across their legs as they cuddled on his couch. Her head lay on his chest and his hand traced circles on her back. Some action film played on the TV but Jake was the only one watching. Her eyes were becoming heavy and she could no longer hear the sounds of the film. All she felt and heard were his comforting circles and his steady heartbeat.

There were no nightmares that night.

She woke up in his bed alone the safest she’d ever felt in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the five month wait, college, other works and more took priority but i'm back! there's only 3 chapters left of bruised so i'll be spacing them out for sure. 
> 
> thank you for reading, leave comments and kudos if you liked it.
> 
> moni


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